Noes from the Horn Book offeres "Five Questions for Matt Phelan" who won the 2010 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The first question, "Do you think of The Storm in the Barn as historical fiction?" is very interesting since some think the fantasy element in the graphic novel should diqualify the book as historical fiction. Matt's response:
Yes. I also think of it as a supernatural thriller and a family drama and a Jack tale. But when I was writing it, I only thought of it as a story. It wasn’t until after it was finished that I could step back and try to label it. It was a story first and foremost, even before I decided it would be a graphic novel.
The other articles in Notes from the Hornbook highlight the ALA media award winners.
Another interesting article is from The Big Fresh titled, "Just Because They Can Doesn't Mean They Should: Choosing Age-Appropriate Books for Literature Circles." In this article, a literacy coach sits through an excruciating literature circle where second graders are trying to figure out the meaning of young adult themes in The Giver. She uses the experience to think through how teachers of gifted young readers can provide them with texts that are challenging yet still appropriate.
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